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o 1 4 5 4 1 O Barrow News-Journal Barrow County News Est. 1893 • Barrow Journal Est. 2008 Merged August 2016 16 Pages, 2 Sections A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. Winder, Barrow County, Georgia $1.00 Copy Wednesday, August 30, 2023 Qualifying ends Contested races around the county With the departure of current mayors in three of Barrow’s municipalities - Auburn, Statham and Winder - some councilmembers are relinquishing their council seats in hopes of securing the mayor’s office, while others face challengers vying for their open council seats. In Winder, the mayor’s seat and three council seats are up for grabs. By the end of qualifying, incumbent Kobi Kilgore (Ward 2) was the only candidate able to secure her seat without opposition. Incumbent Travis Singley’s Ward 4 seat is being challenged by David Arnold. Other sitting council members Jimmy Terrell (Ward 3) and Shannon Hammond (at-large) qualified for the mayoral position. Those vying for Hammond’s at-large seat, are Taffy McCormick, John Bums and Pam Powell. Also, a special election was called to address the vacancy in Ward 3 created by Terrell’s mayoral run. In Auburn, for sitting councilwoman Peggy Langley and Rick Roquemore qualifying. Five candidates qualified for two open seats on Auburn’s council, making it one the most competitive races across the county. Running for Auburn’s two at-large seats are Jeremiah Outwater, Timothy “Bo” Bland, Josh Rowan, Leandro Silva and incumbent Jamie Bradley. In Statham, Debi Krause resigned from her council seat in order to qualify for the mayor’s seat, which she qualified for without opposition. In Bethlehem, incumbent Mayor Sandy McNab is being challenged by Christopher Lelle. On council, Councilmember Doug Koestel (Post 2) is running unopposed and Councilmember Scott Morgan and Sharon Johnson both qualified for the Post 4 seat. Winder Crumbl Cookies opens Sept, 1 Winder is about to get a whole lot sweeter on Friday, Sept. 1, when locally owned and operated Winder Crum bl Cookies, located at 916 Loganville Hwy„ Suite 360, Bethlehem, opens its doors. The store is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on week days and 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Community members and city officials are invited to join the celebration. Aside from satisfying your sweet tooth, the store is also providing over 40 ca reer opportunities to Winder locals. The grand opening week menu will contain six of the 200+ weekly rotating flavors, including Crumbl’s award-winning milk choco late chip. Some of Crumbl’s specialty flavors include internet favorites such as combread, cookies and cream, s’mores, key lime pie, peppermint bark, car amel popcorn, buttermilk pancake, galaxy brownie and many more. A weekly flavor is announced Sun days at 4 p.m. all of Crum bl’s social media accounts. Customers can order in MAILING LABEL Tabitha and Donny Wilson, owners of Crumbl Cookie in Winder person during the first five business days of the grand opening. Starting Wednes day, September 6, delivery, curbside pickup, catering and nationwide shipping will be available via the Crumbl App and online at crumblcookies.com. Cus tomers can also enjoy a brand new feature on the Crumbl App called the Cookie Journal, where they can rate and track cookies, share their tasty takes with other Crumbl reviewers and earn achievements. Down load the award-winning app to start collecting Loyalty Crumbs toward free cook ies today. ABOUT THE OWNERS It was love at first bite for Crumbl store owners Tabitha and Donny Wilson. After sinking their teeth into a Galaxy Brownie cookie, which brought them back to their childhood, they were instantly hooked. The Wil sons have spent months per fecting the Winder location to provide an irresistible experience for customers. “As local business owners, we are looking forward to sharing delicious cookies with our neighbors!” the duo stated. Together with their crew, they are thrilled to finally open their doors to bring the people of Winder together over a box of the best cookies in the world. Mapping the future of transportation Photo Credit City of Winder Jacob Lincoln Local leaders met Thursday at the Barrow County Historic Courthouse to review and finalize the intergovernmental agree ment, authorizing a TSPLOST referendum for the upcoming November election. Pictured are David Brock, Mayor of Carl; Linda Blechinger, Mayor of Auburn; David Maynard, Mayor of Winder; Barrow County Board of Commissioners Chairman Pat Graham; Joe Piper, Mayor of Statham and Sandy McNab, Mayor of Bethlehem. Braselton Mayor Kurt Ward was not able to attend. TSPLOST to appear on November’s ballot By Morgan Ervin morgan@barrownews j ournal. com In a significant stride toward en hancing transportation infrastructure across the county and its municipali ties, county officials and city leaders banded together to sign an intergov ernmental agreement (IGA) in support of a Transportation Local Option Sales Tax referendum for the upcoming No vember election. “By signing this intergovernmental agreement all together, we are ensur ing that the voice of our citizens is heard in the coming November ballot. The introduction of a transportation sales tax isn’t merely a financial deci sion; it’s a commitment to the future and improving the roads, dealing with the issues we call generational,” said Winder Mayor David Maynard. “If passed, this will ensure Winder has approximately $18 million dedicat ed to projects that will improve our city’s transportation infrastructure, keeping us connected, vibrant and forward-moving for generations to come,” Maynard said. TSPLOST entails a specialized sales tax dedicated to funding transportation endeavors, spanning roads, bridges, public transit, rails, airports, buses and seaports. This tax can be im posed for up to five years, capped at a 1% rate. Differing from property-centric levies, TSPLOST is an inclusive tax applicable to all purchases within the county, ensuring that all road us ers contribute, regardless of property ownership. The proposed sales tax holds the potential to augment road mainte nance capabilities for both munici palities and the county, without ne cessitating an increase in property taxes. Additionally, the adoption of this tax could cut the current 40-year repaving cycle in half, aligning it more closely with the recommended 10-15-year pavement lifespan. Local TSPLOST can be strategi cally employed to match transporta tion grant funds offered by state and federal governments. According to Barrow County Board of Commissioners Chairman Pat Graham, the Georgia Depart ment of Transportation (GDOT) will advance the schedule of state road projects if local governments can partner with them by doing prelim inary environmental studies or pre liminary engineering work. “The West Winder Bypass was done this way,” Graham said, adding that Barrow used $4 million in 2008 SPLOST funds to pay for the envi ronmental and engineering portion of the project, then GDOT paid for land acquisition and construction. It is anticipated that the projected $130 million in sales tax revenue will likely attract additional grant funding. Currently, TSPLOST has been ad opted by 106 counties. Among them, 43 counties uphold a single county TSPLOST, while regional county TSPLOSTs are operational across four regions, comprising 63 coun ties. In North Georgia, four counties are actively contemplating the adoption of TSPLOST. . As proposed, the allocation of funds between the county and munic ipalities will be determined by road miles, with the following breakdown: • Barrow: 480.96 miles (72.49%) • Auburn (Barrow); 42.64 miles (6.43%) • Bethlehem: 8.45 miles (1.27%) • Braselton: 10.4 miles (1.57%) • Carl: 3.66 miles (0.55%) • Statham: 22.36 miles (3.37%) • Winder: 95.06 miles (14.33%) The potential projects that stand to benefit from a TSPLOST encompass a diverse range of vital infrastruc ture enhancements aimed at elevating transportation standards within the county and its municipalities. These transportation projects would other wise be paid for with general fund and property tax revenues. “Several of these GDOT projects are long range and Barrow County needs them done much sooner than the current schedule,” said Graham. In 2022, Mayor David Maynard and the Winder City Council initiated talks regarding TSPLOST, with hopes of securing its placement on the Novem ber 2022 ballots. However, the county opted to postpone the referendum to facilitate a comprehensive transporta tion study but pledged that the matter would be revisited once a more de tailed plan could be formulated. With the transportation study com plete, local government leaders re grouped over the summer and set their sights on creating an intergovernmen tal agreement ahead of the Nov. 7 elec tion. If approved, the Barrow County sales tax amount per dollar will in crease from 7 cents to 8 cents. In comparison to nearby counties, the sales tax rate per dollar in Hall and Jackson is 7 cents, Oconee and Ath- ens-Clarke is 8 cents and Gwinnett is 6 cents. Winder Councilwoman Kobi Kilgo re said November’s ballot will provide the community the chance to make “lasting changes.” “This penny sales tax will fund a future where transportation isn’t just better—it’s the best it can be,” she said. TSPLOST PROJECTS BARROW COUNTY BRIDGE IMPROVEMENTS: Boss Hardy Road Bridge over Little Mulberry River; Covered Bridge Road Bridge over Mulberry River; Manning Gin Road Bridge over Marbury Creek; Smith Mill Road Bridge over Marbury Creek ROADWAY CAPACITY WIDENING ($7 MILLION): Dee Kennedy Road from Gwinnett Co. to SR 211; Rockwell Church Road from SR 53 to Carl Cedar Hill Rd. INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS ($12.56 MILLION): SR 211 at Cedar Creek Road and Hal Jackson Road; SR 211 NW at SR 124; Rockwell Church Road at City Pond Road; Jefferson Highway at Pendergrass Road; SR 211 at Holsenbeck School Road; Bill Rutledge Road at Matthews School Road; Haymon Morris Road at Tom Miller Road ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION ($2.35 MILLION): Sidewalk improvements ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS ($10.16 MILLION): SR 211 from Winder Bypass to N Broad Street; Atlatna Hwy. from Gwinnett County line to Carl Midway Church Road; Atlanta Highway from Carl Midway Church Road to Patrick Mill Road; Bankhead Highway; Rockwell Church Road from SR 11 to SR 53; Pearl Pentecost Road ROADWAY RESURFACING ($30 MILLION) STATE STRATEGIC TRANSPORTATION PLAN: SR 211 widen to four lanes from north of Winder/West Winder Bypass; SR 81 from Walton County line to Carson Wages Road; Carl Bethlehem Road from US 29 Business to SR 316; SR 211 at Bowman Mill Road/Double Bridges Road; Atlanta Highway at Bowman Mill Road SE; Pleasant Hill Church Road at SR 211; SR 211 at SR 82; SR 53 N at Mulberry Road; SR 81 at Tom Miller RoadVTanners Bridge Road; intersection safety imrpovements WINDER INTERSECTION AND ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS - $4 MILLION: Safety and operational improvements to several intersections and roadways in the general vicinity of E. Athens St., Midland Ave., MLK Jr. Dr. and N. Williams St. - SIMS ROAD REALIGNMENT AND DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS - $2.25 MILLION: Abandonment of the existing curved bridge and realignment of the roadway drainage improvements and installation of sidewalks and other improvements to meet identified safety and operational needs. INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS ($1.5 MILLION): Safety and operational improvements at the intersection of Midland Ave., Sims Rd., Miles Patrick Rd. and St. Anthony Dr. MIDLAND AVE. OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS ($1 MILLION): Safety and operational improvements along Midland Ave. between N. Broad St. and Miles Patrick Rd., and may include the intersections of Woodlawn Ave., N. Center St. and 5th Ave. ROAD, STREET, BRIDGE, SIDEWALKS, TRAILS AND BICYCLE PATHS ($4.8 MILLION): Including but not limited to equipment used for construction and maintenance and all necessary accompanying infrastructure and services AUBURN STREET PAVING PROJECTS: County Line-Auburn Road, College Street, Main Street, 6th Street, Mt. Moriah Road, Mt. Moriah Road, Apalachee Church Rd, 6th Ave, 5th St., 3rd Ave, 4th Ave., and 7th St. INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS: Etheridge Rd and Hwy 8, Apalachee Church Rd and Hwy 8, County-Line Rd and Hwy 8, and Parks Mill Rd and Auburn-County Line Rd. Sidewalks. Projects may include: Auburn-County Line Rd to Parks Mill Rd., Mary Carter Rd., Mt Moriah Rd., 5th Street (Children’s Park) to 3rd Ave. (Library), 6th Ave to College St., Van St. to 3rd Ave., and 4th Ave. to Parks Mill Rd. BRASELTON • Construction of roads, bridges, sidewalks, multiuse paths, intersection improvements, traffic safety enhancements, and stormwater projects pertaining to roadway and other transportation projects. Projects may include: Highway 211, Highway 124, Beaver Dam Road, Thompson Mill Road, Liberty Church Road, Braselton Parkway Extension, and other related projects. • Resurfacing, including full depth reclamation, base and paving, culvert repair, traffic markers, patching, shoulder preparation, and related projects. Projects may include: resurfacing of approximately 3 miles of Braselton maintained roads based on the established annual road rating criteria and scoring system; and other related projects. STATHAM • Repair, resurfacing and restriping of Mulberry Street from Atlanta Hwy to Broad Street; 8th Street from Atlanta Hwy to Broad Street; Railroad Street from 2nd Street to 1 st Street; Second Street from Broad Street to Railroad Street and municipal roads BETHLEHEM • Road, street, bridge, curb and sidewalk projects. Stormwater improvement projects. CARL • Repair, resurfacing, and restriping of East Avenue and 4th Avenue. • Rehabilitation and repair, resurfacing, and restriping of Carl Midway Church Road and adjacent road as required. • Addition of sidewalk to Bankhead Highway and Carl Cedar Hill Road.